Final: Padres 2, Mets 1

SAN DIEGO - The path towards improvement is often marked with failure. Sit down with Mike Pelfrey for a few minutes, and he'll sketch out the details of a maddening trip.
His record (2-6, 4.65 ERA) may hint at a different level of pitcher, but Pelfrey has now pitched well in two consecutive games. It's a benchmark for the 24-year-old, who may be on the brink of melding his immense talent with even bigger expectations. He did not factor in the Mets' 2-1 victory last night at PETCO Park, but he did leave his mark.
Pelfrey lasted six innings, allowing just one run on eights hits. It was matched by Josh Banks, who in a similar timeframe allowed one run on five hits.
The Pelfrey-Banks matchup didn't pack them into the Padres scenic downtown ballpark, but they did combine for entertaining baseball. Banks eventually snapped his scoreless innings streak at 22, but he had the Mets fooled most of the night with a seemingly infinite variety of pitches. The Mets countered with crisp defense behind Pelfrey. Jose Reyes was particularly proficient with the glovework, making a handful of clutch plays to foil Padres' rallies.
But the Padres burned the Mets in the bottom of the ninth Scott Schoeneweis drilled Paul McAnulty with the bases loaded. That saddled Schoeneweis with the loss, his second this year. Despite have re-branded himself as one of the more reliable relievers in the Mets bullpen, Schoeneweis (0-2) didn't help himself by walking the first two batters he faced. That included a base on balls to Brian Giles, who drew four on the night. A groundout and an intentional walk followed before a misplaced fastball plunked the Padres outfielder.
The Mets (30-29) fell to 3-2 on their road trip, falling 4 1/2 games behind the third-place Braves in the National League East. Even though they dropped the series opener, the Mets have to be pleased with what Pelfrey displayed by maneuvering out of dicey situations.